There has always been and there will probably always be fears from parents that their children, teenagers and young adults spend too much time playing games.
Increasingly so, we are seeing gaming addictions and problems within gaming societies becoming more popular and this acts only to reinforce these fears in a lot of parents.
But, is there another side to this issue?
Is it possible that gaming can actually help people meet their own needs, be happy, and develop in the way that they should be?
A lot of research points to yes.
While there are dangers of addiction to gaming, there are dangers of addiction in many things in life. Many people have unhealthy relationships with food but does that mean that food is “bad” in and of itself? Of course not.
When enjoyed in moderation and with responsibility, there are a lot of ways in which playing video and virtual games can help you meet your basic needs.
Let’s take a look at those basic needs and how gaming can do so in a little more detail.
Achievement
All humans need to feel a sense of achievement every now and again. If we don’t, we can very easily and quickly feel deflated and unmotivated.
We usually get our sense of achievement from work, studies, physical activities, and much larger life goals such a career changes, relationship statuses and even having our own children.
However, sometimes we might go through a stretch of time where not much is going right in these areas and we need a little bit of a boost elsewhere.
Playing games can help us get mini boosts of achievement when we need it, when we finish levels, complete puzzles, and solve problems. This can help keep our motivation levels consistent as we go through life.
Finishing a level of Mario might seem like an insignificant achievement but it can be enough for our brains to feel like we are doing things and making progress.
A little game can give us just the lift we need some days.
Teamwork and socialisation
With online and group playing becoming one of the most popular ways to play video games these days, teamwork and socialisation are more prevalent aspects of video games than ever.
We need to work and play with other humans in order to be happy and to meet all of our basic needs. Even if we are someone who thinks of ourselves as shy or introverted, we need to collaborate with other people to feel connected and happy on a very deep level.
For a lot of people, they get an important element of this by playing games with other people, either in person or online.
Some people might judge this, thinking that talking to people online that you don’t know is a waste of time and effort. But it can be a valuable experience for our brains to just talk to other people and work with them to solve a communal problem. This was particularly important during the pandemic and continues to be so as we adjust to a new way of living.
Relaxation
Finally, playing games can help us relax.
Our lives are busier than ever and our generation is urged to be constantly productive.
Playing games is a great way to engage in something that has no real “point” other than to enjoy yourself and take some time out.
If you love a bit of Donkey Kong and someone is giving you a hard time for that, all you have to do is remind them that, actually, you are simply meeting your basic human needs and doing something good for your brain.
How about that, haters?